FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Generally, a contractor's license is required for any new construction, structural additions, roofing, gas piping, plumbing, electrical/alarm work, pool/spa work or any job which requires a building permit.
Beware of Construction Con Artists, Who May:
Target the elderly, uninformed or the young and inexperienced.
Focus on roofing and remodeling.
Solicit door-to-door, claiming to have "just finished a job down the street."
Arrive in unmarked vans or trucks, possibly from out-of-state.
Use a post office box address with no street address.
Promise to use your home as a demonstration model at a bargain price.
Offer to work for you, only if you obtain the necessary building permits, which makes you responsible for the work done.
Ask for all the money up front.
Become injured on your property and sue you for damages.
(Excerpted from "Protect Your Home: Hire Only Licensed Contractors" from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) published Feb 28, 2003.)

We have long ties to the community and we have lived and worked in the Enumclaw area for over 10 years. Our reputation is very important to us. We are well known by suppliers and subcontractors for our honesty and integrity. We have access to designers, architects and consultants which enable us to produce a quality product at a fair and reasonable cost. We believe that quality doesn't cost - in the long run it saves you money. We have experience in building homes at a wide variety of price ranges, and we believe that every house should be treated as we would our own home.

We provide a one-year warranty on all work and our new homes have a homeowner's warranty for nine additional years for structural defects. Although our warranty is for one year, you will find that we are available if any needs arise years after we have finished building your new home.

The cost per square foot depends greatly upon the type of construction and quality of materials you request. For example...cabinetry, floor coverings, mouldings, products used to finish bathrooms, countertops, exterior finishes, etc. Items such as these can increase the square foot cost of a home significantly.

"Buyer beware" is a good way to begin our answer. Realize first that nobody wins in a bidding war. While it makes good sense to shop around for the lowest price when buying a VCR or TV or other manufactured article, you don't shop for the lowest price for brain surgery. Nor does it make good sense when building something as important as your new home or remodeling your existing home. Yet people are continually told to shop around for the "LOWEST" price and seek out competitive bids, usually comparing apples to oranges, thinking they are comparing apples to apples.
Clearing Up Some Popular Misconceptions
A bid usually only reflects an initial price. It is very difficult to know whether a bid is accurate without a complete breakdown of the cost of the project, especially as projects increase in complexity. Most new homes and major remodeling projects do get more complex than homeowners expect. Putting together a detailed complete bid can be time consuming. If a contractor ballparks a price, he must either inflate the price or cut corners to make a profit. You lose in both cases.
Competitive bids may show more about a contractor's ability to bring an enticing upfront price than a true cost or value for the dollar spent. In most cases, certain portions of a contract have an allowance for items spent by lowering these below others. You can make an attractive price that will bring a substandard end result, or call for the owner to make up the difference to buy a quality item. There are many things in home construction that can be manipulated to "seem" to reduce the upfront cost. We are in constant contact with local suppliers to maintain the true cost of each item, and you have a complete breakdown of all cost in the construction of your home down to the light switch or doorknob. Most people are not interested in such a close breakdown as it is very time consuming; however, it is necessary for a true cost analysis.
Good contractors will help property owners balance what they want with the amount of capital they are willing to spend on a given project. Sometimes small changes can make a large cost difference with little impact on the end result.
You have to pay a contractor one time for the work done. However, you have to live with the work for many years. Do you want to live with something done by the cheapest possible method that may cost you many times the savings over the life of the job? That is the result of low bid construction. In the end it is just not a good investment.
Instead of bidding, we suggest a different approach. Ask for references. How long has your contractor been involved in the construction business? Are they a member of the Homebuilders Association? Can they complete the project in the time frame they say they can?
GET A CONTRACT. Check on his license and insurance before you make your decision. Then have fun and enjoy the building experience. It should be a happy event that is full of joy, not worry, for you. That is the builder's job.

The subcontractors that we use we have a long relationship with and continue to use them because they provide excellent product for the cost and service after the sale. We feel that using the same subcontractors guarantees a prompt response on any problems that may arise before or after the project is finished.

Yes we do. However, due to our methods of estimating and construction costing, some of our projects result in cost plus construction. We do not guess or ballpark in our estimating. Therefore, you see the cost of each item that you select, and it becomes part of the contract. There can be no question of hidden cost. If you wish to put off certain selections, these can be addressed on an allowance basis.